Hartle began by offering
three major reasons for teaching general
relativity to undergraduates. The essence of his argument: GR is a
major foundational theory of contemporary physics.

He presented a list of textbooks
suitable for undergraduates to show that there is an extensive pedagogy
for teaching of GR. The list is also a useful guide for anyone
thinking of teaching a GR course. As further evidence that the
teaching GR to undergraduates is spreading, he showed a list of
colleges and universities that have adopted his
book